Free Internet access tested in Cape Town

Rudolph Muller

Rudolph Muller is the editor at MyBroadband and covers telecoms and broadband news. Rudolph comes from an academic background, but left the University of...

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The V&A Waterfront has recently announced that it will provide its visitors with free Internet access during and after the month-long World Cup tournament.

“The initiative is being driven in collaboration with HipZone and is part of the V&A Waterfront’s commitment to continuing to offer world-class services to its visitors,” the company said in a press statement.

Chantelle Kidd, Marketing Executive at the V&A Waterfront says, “While free Wi-Fi has become the norm overseas, it is still relatively new in South Africa. As the only retail shopping centre in the country to partner with HipZone, we have raised the bar to benefit international travellers and our locals visiting during the World Cup. We’re also looking into extending the service across other parts of the property once the football fever is over.”

The initiative kicks-off in early June. “Visitors can view emails, connect via social networking sites or simply surf the web on their laptops or mobile phones,” explains Kidd.

“Moreover, as it launches during the World Cup, it is a convenient way to share the V&A Waterfront football experience – which includes interactive events, food and beverage offerings and four spectator zones – with friends and family virtually and in real-time.”

To access free wireless internet across the Victoria Wharf, visitors can choose ‘HipZone free Wi-Fi’ from their wireless internet connections and follow the simple login instructions.

HipZone’s ambitious goal is to provide free Wi-Fi, nationwide as “people should never have to pay for the bandwidth they need – instead, we’ll pay for it”. To achieve this, HipZone has partnered with brands such as Adidas, Kauai and Vida e Caffe, in addition to airports, restaurants and now the V&A Waterfront, to provide users with free access. It is funded through tailored dipstick research and online advertising.

“All users need to do is tell us what they think about events in their lives, for example comment on where they are sitting, the ads they see around them, and their general interaction with brands  – all with the aim of improving user experience, services and products,” says HipZone.

Every user will get 25 MB of data per session, something which should stop people from using the service to download large files and possibly deteriorating the overall experience of the service.

According to the Annemie Liebenberg, Communication Manager at the V&A Waterfront, the popularity of the free Wi-Fi access will be assessed and a decision as to whether they will continue to offer free Internet access will be based on this trial run.

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